HARLEM, Ga. (WJBF) – Harlem High School is making sure its students get plenty of hands-on learning before they graduate. It does this through its work based learning program.
“It allows a student to go through a program and decide whether or not this is the career path I really want to take. It’s better to find that out now then go through four years of college and find out this is really not what I want to do,” said Work Based Learning Coordinator, Tim Perry.
For students, the program is an experience like no other.
“It gets them out of their seat. They’re not actually sitting in a classroom all day. They’re doing hands-on activities, they’re learning, and they can learn from their mistakes and keep building on that,” said Perry.
For senior Addisyn Clements, the program is already leading her in the right direction.
“In the work based learning program, I have a job at a facility called Greco Transport. We’re a non-emergency medical transport facility and I work there as an EMTR. Through the school’s healthcare pathway, CTAE pathway, I was able to obtain my EMTR my junior year of high school which helped me obtain the job,” said Clements.
Addisyn has class in the school’s clinical room for the health science department. In the future, she wants to make working in the medical field her career.
“It’s very nice that the school has this kind of program because I’m able to have hands-on learning and actually get to come and practice different health care related activities, so I know that it’s something I enjoy,” said Clements.
The school is proud of what its students are accomplishing.
“A lot of students right now that have graduated are actually in those fields and that have stayed in the local area, medical being one of the biggest, is that they’re attending local universities and still working at the places like the doctors offices and the hospital while they’re in college getting their degrees,” said Perry.
Harlem High School’s work based learning program is a big success and students participating encourage others to take advantage of it.
“I would definitely encourage every student if possible to join the work based learning program. That way they are certain that this is what they would like to do in the future and also to learn what it’s like to be an adult,” said Clements.
